The present invention relates to a single drive and control means for providing rectilinear movement to a table base and rotary movement to an index table of a machine tool, selectively.
Prior to this invention, the inclusion of an index table in the table base of a machine tool added greatly to the mechanical complexity and cost of the machine tool. This was due to the necessity of providing a separate driving means for both the supporting table base and the index table, which necessitated duplicating the numerous flexible couplings, fittings, hoses, wires, and the like required to energize and control the separate driving means for the index table and the separate driving means for the movable table base.